charliebuck's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lorireads2much's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
3.0
Only three stars, but luckily I didn't read this one first and so my love for Nancy Mitford continues unabated.
tillybeller's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
justine21justine's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
l1nds's review against another edition
4.0
Well this was an unexpected gem! I promised myself I'd finally read Christmas Pudding this December and then I found out some of the characters were in this first so I obviously I had to track it down! (I think it's only in print within The Complete Novels in the UK.)
It's exactly what you would expect from a Nancy Mitford shooting party - the foibles of the upper classes are mercilessly skewered, there's romance and hijinks, and then suddenly about two thirds of the way in, almost as an afterthought, there's a wonderful passage about soldiers returning from WWI being so shattered by their experiences they were unable to pick up their former lives. Jolly good for a first novel! (I never say jolly good, but my inner voice goes a bit posh when I read something like this!)
It's exactly what you would expect from a Nancy Mitford shooting party - the foibles of the upper classes are mercilessly skewered, there's romance and hijinks, and then suddenly about two thirds of the way in, almost as an afterthought, there's a wonderful passage about soldiers returning from WWI being so shattered by their experiences they were unable to pick up their former lives. Jolly good for a first novel! (I never say jolly good, but my inner voice goes a bit posh when I read something like this!)
bookpossum's review against another edition
3.0
Kobo offered me an omnibus volume of Nancy Mitford's novels at almost half price - an offer too good to resist. This first one was light and good fun. I'm looking forward to the rest of the books, but plan to spread them out in and between others in order to savour them.
persephonora's review against another edition
4.0
I think the only reason people don’t seem to like this one so much is because Mitford’s other work has spoiled them. This story is short and light, with many funny conflicts between the older and younger generation. It’s accessible and the young people are very sympathetic even though they’re a bit ridiculous. I laughed out loud a few times and loved the highlands setting.